That’s the choice FSN had to make regarding Wednesday night’s playoff opener against the Flyers and the Pirates’ second home game of the season. Guess which one they chose?

Clearly Pittsburgh’s eyes will be on Mellon Arena tomorrow night, not PNC Park. FSN has dropped the Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday (next week) telecasts in favor of the NHL playoffs–and that’s just for the first round.

In return, they’re adding one stinkin’ game: the 12:35 start on Thursday against the Astros. Killin’ me.

If you were around last year, you may recall I was one of the few fans who chose April Bucco baseball over Pens playoff hockey. I actually went down to PNC on multiple playoff game nights (and didn’t regret it, we won on most of them), sharing the T with hordes of Pens fans. I’m pulling for the Pens-don’t get me wrong, but baseball is what I love to watch and the Pirates are unabashedly my favorite squad.

Will the aura of $1 tickets lure in enough fans for a respectable crowd on Wednesday night? I thought it’d be a big hit (after the successful start and opener) until I realized the playoff schedule had been announced. Now the Bucco-first faithful could have an empty stadium to themselves.

If you’ve already purchased tickets but really want to see hockey, I’ll warn you: the Pirates did nothing to indicate the score of the Pens games last year. Even during a long rain delay, they didn’t turn on the game or even give an update. The games were on in the Hall of Fame Club (open to all) and in the luxury suites, and we could usually notice a roar in the stands when there was a goal, but that’s about it. Bring a radio.

Anyway, I’ll get down to the game if I can since there’s no other way to watch it (plus $1 tickets are pretty appealing). Somehow I doubt there will be many Pittsburghers with the same train of thought, but maybe the combo of Buc night and the economy will be enough to overcome that issue to an extent.

I think this is going to be a bigger series than any of the others simply because of the teams involved. They just hate each other, plain and simple. It is going to be a hard-hitting fast paced game. It will be played by the definition of great hockey and I can’t wait to watch!

I think this is going to be a bigger series than any of the others simply because of the teams involved. They just hate each other, plain and simple. It is going to be a hard-hitting fast paced game. It will be played by the definition of great hockey and I can’t wait to watch!

I think this is going to be a bigger series than any of the others simply because of the teams involved. They just hate each other, plain and simple. It is going to be a hard-hitting fast paced game. It will be played by the definition of great hockey and I can’t wait to watch!